


who needs vitamin c (when i have vitamin u)

by kuroosuno



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: After Practice Relaxation, Bonding, Comfort No Hurt, Established Relationship, Fluff, Just Dudes Being Boyfriends, Kozume Kenma is Getting Better at Feelings, M/M, Mentioned Kuroo Tetsurou, POV Kozume Kenma, Soft Skin and Softer Hearts ™, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26113987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroosuno/pseuds/kuroosuno
Summary: “It’s a headband. It’ll hold your hair back and keep it out of your face,” Kenma mumbles, looking a little embarrassed. Lev cocks his head, trying to make sense of the older boy’s reaction. He takes the headband in his hands and turns it over, and that’s when he realizes.“Oh, cute! It has little ears! That’s so cute,” he gushes, playing with the ears.“It was a gift…” Kenma mumbles, quickly taking the headband back. “Let me put it on for you. Close your eyes.”ORKenma and Lev partake in some much needed after practice relaxation via Kuroo's suggestion (but don't tell him that), and it's not just their skin that gets softer in the process!!
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Kozume Kenma
Comments: 3
Kudos: 89





	who needs vitamin c (when i have vitamin u)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sobistars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sobistars/gifts).



> for my wifey leah,
> 
> i promise one day i'll finish the original kenlev i started for u i swear!! ╮(￣ω￣;)╭

Coach Naoi blows his whistle curtly, halting all the gym shoes and volleyballs. 

“Okay, everyone, that’s enough for today. It’s late, so clean up quickly, hit the showers, and then get out of here.” 

The coach’s words are met with a loud chorus of affirmations from the players as they start gathering up all the equipment. It isn’t long before everything is rounded up and hauled back to its various homes. 

As he closes the doors to the supply room, Kenma scans the gym looking for a particular long-limbed teammate. He counts off everyone except the one he’s looking for until he casts his gaze lower. That’s when he catches sight of Lev, laying flat on his back, completely sprawled out on the floor. Kenma doesn’t bother fighting back the small smile that appears on his face as he walks over in Lev’s direction. 

“Come on, Lev. You’re setting a bad example for the first years,” Kenma says, nudging the outstretched hand with his foot. Lev groans and pats around blindly before grasping Kenma’s thin ankle.

“Kenma… Kenma, is that you?” Lev croaks pathetically. “I think I’m dying. No, I know I am. This is it.” 

Kenma huffs a laugh to himself, before crouching down next to the mess of limbs on the floor. He smoothes the ashy hair plastered to Lev’s forehead back.

“You have to get up, it’s time to go. Everyone’s probably showering already. Do you want them to close up before you can get in? You’ll be more miserable if you’re sweaty the whole way home.”

“You’re right, I guess,” Lev sighs defeatedly. “I don’t think my… well anything, works, though. You’re gonna have to help me up or I’ll still be here in the morning.” He reaches his arms up weakly. 

Kenma eyes the scene and figures taking the path of least resistance is the best option. He grasps Lev’s hands as he stands up, and puts all his weight into pulling the taller boy up. They get Lev at least sitting upright on the first attempt. Kenma repositions himself so he’s standing between Lev’s outstretched legs. He grasps his hands again.

“Okay, 1, 2, 3,” Kenma counts down before pulling again. It’s clear as he’s pulling that Lev is making no attempt to assist despite having 20 kilograms over him. Kenma stumbles approximately a million times by his count, but eventually, they (read: he) get Lev standing. 

“Now… shower…” Kenma wheezes out.

Lev sighs in response before slinging his arm around Kenma’s shoulders and beginning to make his way to the locker room. 

As they pass through the threshold, it’s clear that Kenma was right. Nearly everyone’s already showering, and the ones lingering appear to have finished already and are talking amongst themselves.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kenma notices Lev glancing around. The hand once on his shoulder slides down his back slightly and pulls the two closer together. Lev leans down and places a kiss to the top of Kenma’s head and starts off towards the showers. 

Kenma’s face heats up immediately, both embarrassed and endeared by the affection. Before he can think, his body moves on its own and he catches the edge of the taller boy’s practice shirt, gripping it tightly.

“Come over,” the setter mumbles, cheeks reddening more by the second. Kenma takes a chance and glances up, where wide green eyes stare back at him. Lev’s face splits into a wide smile.

“Okay!” he confirms, nodding enthusiastically. “Let’s go!”

“Lev. We have to—” 

“Right! Right, shower. Yeah, I’m just, I’m gonna—yeah!” Lev stumbles over his words, gesturing wildly in the direction of the showers. “One sec, I’ll be fast!” And before Kenma can say anything more, Lev’s already running off. The pain, the state of near-death from moments before, clearly completely forgotten.

  
  


ϟϟϟ

  
  


Kenma’s packing up his bag when Lev rounds the corner with his own slung over his shoulder. He runs his fingers through his damp hair, pushing his ashy bangs back and away from his face. Taking in that Kenma isn’t ready to go, Lev drops down onto the bench next to the other boy’s belongings and lets his bag slip off onto metal boards as well.

“What time does the train come?”

Kenma hums, pausing his packing to check his phone. The screen lights up to a photo of Lev from the fireworks festival they went to the month prior, smiling widely and wearing the hoodie Kenma loves to steal the most. It’s his favourite photo to date and is attached to some wholesome memories. Lev leans over slightly to get a better view.

“I like your lock screen, Kenma,” Lev teases, nudging the smaller boy’s arm. Kenma feels his cheeks get hot and he steals a glance at the other from his peripheral. Lev’s smiling softly at him and Kenma spikes his phone into his bag, zipping it up quickly.

“It looks like the next one comes in twenty minutes, so we better get out of here or we’ll miss it.”

“‘Kay, let’s go,” Lev laughs, grabbing both bags and throwing them over his shoulder. 

Lev leads the way through the maze of corridors while Kenma follows closely behind, console in hands. Years of practice following Kuroo around, in the same manner, have helped perfect Kenma’s reflexes. He’s thankful because, without them, he surely would have crashed into Lev’s back a hundred times as the taller boy makes repeated abrupt stops to make small talk and say goodbyes to the fellow teammates they pass. 

Finally, they reach the side doors, left unlocked for staff and students involved in clubs, leaving late. As Lev pushes the door open, they’re hit with a wall of cool autumn air. While refreshing, Kenma still noticeably shivers at the initial temperature difference. 

“Are you cold? Do you want a sweater? I have one in my bag if you need it.” 

Kenma shakes his head. “No, no, I’m okay. And I can hold my own stuff,” he says, reaching for his backpack.

“Yeah, but I want to,” Lev reassures, waving his hand. “I know what you can hold if you’re in the market for something, though.” 

“What’s that?” 

Lev brings his hand to Kenma’s line of sight and wiggles his fingers with a stupid grin plastered on his face. Kenma sighs, dropping his head, but takes Lev’s hand in his anyway, lacing their fingers together.

  
  


ϟϟϟ

  
  


They get to the station with just enough time and board the train immediately. It’s normally more on the crowded side, but tonight’s their lucky night. Kenma could probably count the other passengers on two hands, which means they get to sit down for once. They quickly choose the seats farthest from the door to settle into for their trip. Kenma takes the seat against the wall and flops down gracelessly. 

Lev drops their bags down, taking the seat beside him, before stretching his legs out with a tired groan. He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes for a moment. Kenma uses the opportunity to take in how handsome Lev is, all sharp and defined features. It isn’t often that he catches sight of the younger boy’s face completely relaxed like this. His admiring doesn’t last long, though, unfortunately.

As if sensing his audience, Lev turns his head and slowly opens his eyes, immediately meeting the golden ones staring back at him. He offers a sleepy grin before returning back to his original state. Kenma smiles to himself and opens up a takeout app on his phone. Ordering now would mean it would most likely be ready for pickup by the time they get off the train.

“I’m going to order food. What do you want?” 

Lev inhales deeply and rests his hand on Kenma’s thigh. He seems to think about it for a moment before answering.

“Doesn’t matter. Whatever you want is good. You know what I like, anyway.” 

Kenma hums in response and begins his search. He selects a few different things, making sure to add an order of inarizushi for Lev. He takes a final look over their order, and once satisfied with the haul, Kenma fills out the rest of the required delivery information.

“Over an hour before it’s ready? Do they have to grow the rice or what?” The blond mutters resentfully, tapping the ‘pay’ button anyway. 

Just as he places the order, the automated voice over the speaker grabs his attention as their stop is announced, and Kenma nudges Lev with his shoulder. 

“Hey, this is our stop,” he quietly informs the younger boy, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Okay, alright. I’m getting up,” Lev sighs, squeezing his eyes shut and stretching out all his limbs like a cat after a long nap. He pushes himself up from the seat, placing the bags back on his shoulder before taking Kenma’s hand again.

ϟϟϟ

By the time they reach Kenma’s neighbourhood, the sun has long since set. Once they round the final corner onto his street and the house comes into view, Lev notices the car normally in the driveway is missing.

“Are your parents home?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure,” the blond shrugs and Lev offers a sigh of relief. Kenma glances at him out of the corner of his eye. “Why?”

Lev looks up at the sky and the length of his silence leads Kenma to believe he isn’t going to answer. But as he opens his mouth to offer a new topic of conversation, Lev laughs awkwardly, unintentionally cutting him off.

“They make me nervous, sometimes—most of the time. Always?” He clears his throat in discomfort. “I’m afraid of doing something stupid or saying something stupid in front of them.”

Kenma’s face scrunches up at the new information. Lev, nervous? No way. He looks up at the other who seems to be actively avoiding his gaze. Kenma stops walking just at the end of the pathway up to his front door. He tugs on Lev’s arm before the taller boy can get any further.

“They like you. So much. And I’m not just saying that,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “They liked you before we were even friends if I’m being honest. For sure before I did.”

“Really?” 

The hopefulness in the younger boy’s tone tugs a little harder on Kenma’s heartstrings than he’d like. He nods, though, and squeezes Lev’s hand for emphasis.

“Really. Especially my mom. She always asks about you. With her, you could probably get away with anything.”

As they look at each other, Kenma can see something else in Lev’s eyes, but before he has time to figure it out, Lev grins widely.

“Being this cute has loads of advantages, huh?” 

It’s clear that he’s trying to lighten the mood and Kenma decides to go along with it. He smiles, huffing a laugh, and at that, he sees the other visibly relax.

“Yeah, it’s a real problem for me. Let’s go inside already, I’m cold,” Kenma chuckles, lightly shoving Lev up the walkway towards the front door.

  
  
  


Once inside, the two stay true to their normal routine and immediately head to Kenma’s room. Lev drops the bags next to the door and collapses on the floor with a groan.

Kenma eyes the scene with a sense of deja vu. He’s fighting back laughter when he draws the full attention of the subject of his amusement.

“What?” Lev whines, staring up at the older boy pitifully.

“Nothing, nothing,” Kenma chuckles, waving his hands in dismissal. “You just look like a starfish that’s washed up on the beach. It’s kind of sad.”

“Makes sense because I sure feel like one,” Lev complains.

After a few moments of silence, Kenma gets hit with a great idea that’s totally his own and thanks to absolutely no one else’s influence at all. He’s for sure not hearing Kuroo’s stupid voice in his head suggesting ideas he previously shot down and said were dumb (but prepared for anyway just in case).

“We could do face masks?” he suggests. When Lev doesn’t respond right away, Kenma starts to wonder if it was a stupid suggestion after all. 

“I heard they were relaxing and I have a bunch I got as gifts, but if you don’t want to, that’s cool. We can figure out something else or—” he rambles.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let’s do it,” Lev nods excitedly. “The drippy sheets, right? I wanna do one!”

Kenma’s momentarily stunned by Lev’s reaction based on how terribly he sold him the idea, but the blond isn’t going to argue otherwise. He simply mirrors Lev’s nodding, albeit less enthusiastic. 

He walks past the younger boy and kneels next to the bed. He feels around blindly until his hand hits a small box. Kenma grabs it and pulls it out from underneath the bed and slides it across the carpeted floor. 

“Pick out the one that you want.”

“Okay!” Lev nods, starry-eyed. “Which one are you going to use?”

Kenma hadn’t considered it too much, nor did it really matter to him anyway. 

“Can you pick one for me too?” 

“You got it! I’ll find a good one.” And with that declaration, Lev begins examining all his options with unnecessary detail.

That excitable nature once exhausted Kenma, but now it’s impossible for him to stop the warm, fond feelings it brings. While he may never share Lev’s same brand of enthusiasm for the very, very minor things in life, it’s helped Kenma appreciate them a little more.

“Kenma, I found the perfect ones,” Lev beams. “We’ll be smooth like babies!”

Kenma raises an eyebrow at the other, prompting Lev to report his findings. He lifts his hand to show the blond his masks of choice, holding them like a pair of playing cards. A lion and a panda. Kenma knows he shouldn’t be surprised by Lev’s choice, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hopeful Lev would’ve breezed past these. Nevertheless, Kenma sighs and reaches his hand out, accepting his fate. He glances down at the package once it’s in his hands. 

“I thought it was really fitting, too. What do you think?”

“I did ask you to pick for me, I guess,” Kenma admits, eyeing the panda sheet mask.

“It’s perfect for you! Pandas are soft, and cute, and small, and—”

“Pandas aren’t small, they’re over like a hundred kilograms.”

“Baby pandas are,” Lev counters with a pout. “We saw them at the zoo!”

Kenma nods defeatedly, before getting up to scour his desk. He pushes around some stacks of paper, notebooks, and general junk he knows he needs to get rid of. Finally, after making his desk into a bigger mess than it was originally, he finds what he’s looking for.

“What are you doing?” 

He glances at the younger boy and holds up the hair ties. 

“If the stuff gets in your hair, it feels pretty gross. Trust me… Here,” he explains, tossing one to Lev.

Kenma pulls back as much of his own hair as he can, which is mostly just the top half and ties it into a small ponytail. He begins to tear open the package of his mask, but something tells him to check on his mask buddy. Kenma turns to find Lev struggling pathetically to tie his bangs up, and Kenma has to fight back a laugh.

“Don’t you have a sister? Have you never seen Alisa use one of these?” Kenma chuckles, earning a whine from the other boy.

“Help me.”

“Actually, wait.”

Lev watches as Kenma quickly scurries off out of the bedroom. The younger boy sits for a moment before his curiosity gets the better of him and he pushes himself up from the floor. As he goes to walk out into the hallway in search of Kenma, he nearly collides with the blond. Lev grabs Kenma’s shoulders quickly to stop them from smashing into one another. Kenma looks up at him, startled.

“That was close,” Lev breathes, relieved. “Sorry, I was just seeing where you went.”

“This,” Kenma supplies, holding some bunched up white fabric. “Go sit back down, I’ll help you with it.” And shoos Lev back into the room.

He flops back down on the floor and watches Kenma, clearly intrigued. The blond makes his way over, kneeling in front of the other. He unfolds the fabric in his hands and holds it flat.

“It’s a headband. It’ll hold your hair back and keep it out of your face,” Kenma mumbles, looking a little embarrassed. Lev cocks his head to the side, trying to make sense of the older boy’s reaction. He takes the headband in his hands and turns it over, and that’s when he realizes.

“Oh, cute! It has little ears! That’s so cute,” he gushes, playing with the ears on the headband. 

“It was a gift…” Kenma grumbles, quickly taking the headband back. “Let me put it on for you. Close your eyes.”

Kenma pushes the headband down over Lev’s head, smoothes his ashy bangs back, and then pulls the headband back to secure the hair in place. He takes a moment to adjust the ears properly. He cradles Lev’s face in his hands, turning the younger boy’s head from side to side to make sure the headband is sitting correctly and the ears are centred. Once Kenma decides he’s pleased with his work, he gives Lev the O.K. to open his eyes.

His green eyes meet Kenma’s golden ones immediately. He searches the blond’s face for a moment before leaning in to kiss the tip of Kenma’s nose causing his face to flush almost instantaneously.

“Thank you,” Lev grins. And with that smile, Kenma’s heart is surely melting. 

“S-sure,” the older boy wheezes. 

Their eyes stay locked for what feels like an eternity before Kenma looks away. He wouldn’t be surprised if Lev could hear his heart beating with how hard it’s pounding in his chest. 

“Should we do the masks now?” Lev asks, amusement very obvious in his tone. Kenma quickly clears his throat to respond but decides he doesn’t trust his voice to not betray him. He settles on a completely casual, totally-not-exaggerated-at-all nod in its place.

At that, they both quickly get situated and tear into the packages for their respective masks. As Lev struggles to unfold his, his intense concentration is momentarily broken by Kenma’s words of warning.

“Masks and gravity are sworn enemies, so try not to move much or sit up or anything, okay?” Kenma advises as he adjusts the mask on his face, and Lev supplies a thumbs-up to signal his understanding.

Satisfied with the position of the mask, Kenma finally lays down, settling in for the 15-minute wait time. He stretches his arms out before folding them behind his head to act as a pillow. After a few minutes of silence, Kenma decides to steal a glance at the other. Lev looks entirely relaxed, eyes shut and hands resting on his stomach. 

“Cute,” Kenma breathes. 

Lev opens his eyes at the sound of the other’s voice. Propping himself up on his elbow, he turns to look at Kenma.

“What did you say?”

The realization hits him like a truck. Kenma was sure he hadn’t said it aloud, but Lev’s response tells him entirely otherwise. He feels his face begin to heat up, and he considers feigning ignorance. Though, he’s been trying to make an effort to be more open about his feelings with Lev, like Lev is with him, especially when it’s positive. So Kenma swallows his pride (and fear) and repeats himself, louder this time.

“I said you look cute. Really cute,” the older boy admits, hoping his blush hasn’t tinted his mostly white mask pink instead.

Lev bolts upright and stares at the other. He smiles so wide that it causes the mask to start bunching, and it threatens to slide right off and onto the carpet. If that happens, Kenma’s sure there’s absolutely no saving it. Lev clearly clues into that, as well.

“Waah! Oh no,” Lev tips his head back, scrambling to flatten the sheet back down against his features. After adjusting it thoroughly, he flops back down on the floor with a sigh of relief.

It’s silent for longer than either of them is used to before the younger boy speaks again. 

“You know, I gotta say, this is your best after-practice idea yet, Kenma.”

Kenma grins, pleased with himself and fully accepting of the praise. Despite it being Kuroo’s suggestion from over a year ago, Kenma would never give him the credit for it, especially after Kenma had vehemently rejected the idea to his best friend’s face. To the former captain’s credit, he did have good ideas, even great ones sometimes, but Kenma wouldn’t ever admit that. Eventually, though, Kenma gave in to his curiosity about the masks and has since been at it on a pretty regular basis since. But that’s for him to know and absolutely no one to find out.

“You can’t tell Kuroo, though, okay?”

“How come?”

The older boy considers being honest, but then he’d sound petty. He could use this opportunity, however, to win some Boyfriend Points ™. The latter definitely sounds more appealing at the current time.

“Because I want it to be our thing—just us. I don’t want some snake stealing it,” Kenma confesses, glancing over at the younger boy. He wasn’t lying, because he did want them to have their own Things ™; it was just a stretch of the truth at the moment. Kenma’s semi-deep in thought about what else could eventually make its way to that list when Lev’s words catch his attention.

“Kuroo seems more cat-y to me.” 

The other’s words are so childlike in their honesty and innocence that Kenma can’t help the silent laughter that shakes his thin frame. And in moments like this, Kenma really can’t believe this is the same Lev from the year previous. The same Lev that exhausted him, frustrated him and gave him headaches almost daily with his constant antics. 

As Kenma stares at the ceiling, pondering how much things have changed, one thing stands out to him a little more than the rest. He’s feeling particularly bold and decides to share his thoughts.

“Hey, Lev?”

He turns to face Kenma, his attention fully on the older boy. 

“Hm?”

“I’m glad you dropped the honorifics.” He says, with a soft smile.

“Of course! It only made sense. You know, considering that—” Lev pauses, glancing around. He then raises his hand to the side of his face, as if blocking anyone else from hearing him, despite them being alone. “We’re b-words now,” he stage-whispers.

“B—?” Kenma begins to question.

“Boyfriends!” the other interrupts, smiling gleefully.

Kenma’s stomach is immediately full of butterflies, and he covers his face with his hands. Even months after getting together officially, the title and Lev’s pure honesty still cause his cheeks to flush at hyperspeed. Lev gasps dramatically, and Kenma’s attention snaps back to the younger boy immediately. His exaggerated, shocked expression is absolutely ridiculous in combination with the cutesy cartoon lion printed on the sheet mask.

“Kenma, what are you—are you embarrassed? We’ve already held hands and kissed and—”

“ _ Shut up _ ,” the blond hisses. “I know, I know.” 

And as Kenma rolls onto his side, curling up like an armadillo, he thinks that in moments like this, he can wholly, one hundred percent believe that this is the same Lev from last year.

**Author's Note:**

> it's me, back at it again with the steaming garbage!! i'm sure it's pretty ooc but i like to think lev would mellow out a little by second year (and would be open abt his feelings and junk as a boyfriend). one day kenma will stop being embarrassed but that day is not today 
> 
> u can find me at kuroo-suno on tumblr!! (*￣▽￣)b


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